Macklemore and Ryan Lewis do more than pop tags as music entrepreneurs

By J Jennings MossMay 2, 2013 | 6:11pm EDT

VIDEO The rap duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis may sing about their love of scrounging around second-hand stores in their hit "Thrift Shop" with just 20 bucks, but their business sense suggests they've got plenty more stuffed into their pockets. The pair told Stephen Colbert that they released and produced their album, The Heist, independently to control the creative and marketing decisions, and make more money. They did, however, hire part of the Warner Group to get promotion (as Colbert put it, they didn't sell out but they did rent out). "That's a model that has really never been done before and I think it is a testament to the direction that major labels should be going," Lewis said.